After he got done calling for a victory against Georgia, Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins suggested he hopes that Florida State plays him the same defensively in 2013. Watkins had a down season last year but his overall athleticism and skill keep him among the best receiver sin 2013 in the ACC and the nation. Personally I’m expecting a pretty nice bounce-back season from the Tigers receiver, and if he can get some room to work with against the Seminoles he could prove some of his doubters wrong in the process. That is exactly what he is focusing on when it comes to Florida State.
When asked about how teams cover him, Watkins said he hopes more teams try to press him so he can prove to scouts what he can do. From GreenvilleOnline.com;
Professional scouts have had few concerns about Watkins’ skill level, but some have said they would like to see him face press coverage, being bumped at the line of scrimmage, or at least more of that than he has faced so far.
“I would love for that to happen,” Watkins said. “Teams don’t press me, most of them get in coverage 10, 12 yards off the line of scrimmage and I’m like, ‘Come on now, if you gonna’ cover me, be brave a little bit, come up on me, be physical at the line of scrimmage.’”
One of the few teams to succeed in playing this sort of coverage against Watkins has been Florida State. Watkins had six catches for a season low 24 receiving yards last season in Tallahassee. That came a year after Watkins exploded for 141 receiving yards on just seven catches in 2011. Watkins welcomes the challenge in 2013 when Florida State visits Clemson this season.
“Let’s see if they do it again,” Watkins said of the Seminoles, who come to Death Valley on Oct. 19. “I pray that they do, I want to be pressed at the line on every play, I want them to try to know what I’m going to do before the play, because they will never know, they can’t know. I know one play against (Florida State), they had three guys on me, three covering me on one pass play and I made the catch; I don’t believe anybody can cover me one-on-one and I just hope everybody tries it.”
I will say this much about Watkins. The kid is not short on confidence at all right now as he issues challenges to Georgia and Florida State. Will he be able to back up his words or will the bulletin board material in Athens and Tallahassee come back to haunt him?
I can’t wait to find out.

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!